Sri Lanka’s new president’s faces uphill task in push for change

New Delhi — 

Catapulted to powerfulness connected an anti-corruption platform, Sri Lanka’s caller Marxist-leaning president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, faces an uphill task successful gathering his commitments to cleanable up the country’s governmental civilization and improving lives for millions mired successful poorness since the country’s economical illness 2 years ago, accidental analysts.

With his enactment having lone 3 lawmakers successful the 225-member parliament, Dissanayake has called for caller elections a twelvemonth up of docket to take a caller location that could springiness him wider enactment for the sweeping reforms that helium has promised.

“Dissanayake’s anticipation would beryllium to unafraid a comfy bulk successful parliament,” according to Jayadeva Uyangoda, a governmental expert successful the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, told VOA. “In the past, it was customary for mainstream parties to bribe absorption lawmakers to articulation them, but his main plank is cleanable governance, truthful helium volition request to triumph the numbers.”

In a state that rejected mainstream parties successful the statesmanlike polls, determination is what Uyangoda calls a “very bully chance” that helium volition beryllium capable to substantially amended his party’s parliamentary tally. Elections volition beryllium held connected Nov. 14.

Currently, Dissanayake has the smallest furniture successful the country’s past arsenic helium lacks the numbers for a full-fledged cabinet. He has named a caller premier minister, Harini Amarasuriya, and 2 ministers -- successful Sri Lanka, lone lawmakers tin beryllium appointed arsenic ministers.

Winning wider enactment volition beryllium crucial. “Otherwise attempts to present connected his predetermination promises tin beryllium blocked by knee-jerk opposition, owed to differences successful ideology oregon governmental opportunism,” Rajni Gamage, a probe chap astatine the Institute of South Asian Studies astatine the National University of Singapore, told VOA.

Meeting expectations of alleviation from the punishing austerity measures imposed by a $ 2.9 cardinal bailout woody with the International Monetary Fund is the archetypal large trial Dissanayake faces. He volition grip the cardinal concern portfolio.

His pledge to renegotiate Sri Lanka’s woody with the IMF – which helium says is not favorable to moving people citizens — volition not beryllium casual astatine a clip erstwhile the state is inactive heavy debt-ridden and has constricted country to grow payment measures. The bundle has helped steer the system backmost to a nascent maturation path, but the authorities volition request to instrumentality to the program’s criteria of keeping the fund shortage successful check.

An IMF spokesperson successful Washington said connected Monday that it looked guardant to moving with President Dissanayake “towards gathering connected the hard-won gains that person helped enactment Sri Lanka connected a way to economical recovery."

While options for providing alleviation whitethorn beryllium limited, analysts said Dissanayake is expected to trim income taxes for little income groups and little taxes connected nutrient and medicine.

There is besides interest among the concern assemblage astir the presumption the Marxist leader, the lad of a laborer, volition instrumentality connected escaped marketplace policies.

The policies of his Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, are aligned with protectionism, according to Gamage. “Their party’s economical maturation argumentation is woven astir prioritizing industrialization and home manufacturing, supporting section businesses and agriculture.”

However, Dissanayake present heads a coalition, the National People’s Power, an umbrella radical of tiny governmental parties, youth, civilian nine and women’s groups and commercialized unions.

In caller years helium has besides moderated his party’s hard-left stance and said helium believes successful an unfastened economy.

“The concern people is uneasy due to the fact that of the Marxist contented to which helium belongs. But my consciousness is that Dissanayake is simply a precise pragmatic and rational man,” Jehan Perera, who heads the National Peace Council successful Colombo, told VOA. “And the conjugation the president heads is not a Marxist group.”

Delivering connected the cleanable governance helium has promised could besides look a pushback.

“Corruption is precise deep-seated successful the system. It is endemic successful nine and goes from apical to bottom, truthful rooting it retired is precise tough,” said Perera. “He volition look beardown vested interests to rebuild a strategy that has breached down. But connected the affirmative side, helium has the enactment of the people.”

After taking the oath of office, Dissanayake sounded a enactment of caution amid the wide optimism raised by his triumph among millions of Sri Lankans, saying helium is not a “magician” but an “ordinary citizen.”

“There are things I cognize and don’t know. My purpose is to stitchery those with the cognition and skills to assistance assistance this country," helium said connected Monday.

The coming months volition beryllium important for a state that is navigating a vastly altered governmental landscape.

“The absorption of the economical situation and absorption of nationalist expectations volition beryllium his biggest challenge, different discontent volition turn again,” said expert Uyangoda. “Past leaders person each belonged to the governmental elite. This is the archetypal clip determination is simply a president who belongs to the moving class, truthful the hopes of the mean radical are very, precise high.”